Bits and Bytes: Republicans Like Doctor Who, But Will They Dig A Black Doctor?

All I have to say about this is: I wouldn’t invite Shatner to my wedding, either. Well, not if I was George. I personally would totally invite him just for the drunk toast. Where was I? Oh yeah, Bill is being a bit of an ass about this whole thing, don’t you think?

Nielsen (the ratings people) apparently rate the “engagement” people have with the shows they watch and crunch this data along many lines, including political affiliation.

“Engagement” refers to the amount of attention paid to a television program by the average viewer. […] Nielsen’s analysis found that the cable programs that received the highest overall engagement scores… also received the most bipartisan support…

According to the table at the link, shows with the highest Republican engagement include Doctor Who. I know, a bunch of question marks popped above my head, too. Apparently conservatives engaged with our dear Doctor even more than they engaged with the ladies vying for Bret Michaels’ love. I’m not sure how to wrap my brain around this.

The most engaging SF/F show for Dems? TIN MAN. That’s right, dear readers! Liberals are all about the bad Sci-Fi channel movies. I may have to switch parties…

Nick Kaufman finds crazy Doctor Who wank so you don’t have to. Apparently there’s a rumor about that when David Tenant finally gives up the mantle of the Doctor, one of the guys being considered for the role is British actor Paterson Joseph. He was the Weakest Link finalist with Rose in the first season DW finale and also had a prominent role in BBC’s Jekyll. Besides being absolutely brilliant and handsome, Joseph is also black. This, predictably, is making Who fans freak the hell out.

Nick’s picked out some of the choicer quotes for your amusement and head-shaking, but it’s interesting to point out that some fans are completely okay with a black Doctor. But a woman? HELL NO, SIR.

From the Editor

I wanted to start with the idea of the origin story. Every writer has one, and it’s always interesting to hear how writers of color navigated the choppy waters of reading fantasy early on and then deciding to write it. I remember searching for myself, in that languageless sort of way we do when we’re young and don’t know the larger meaning of our search.